Healthy Living for Babes on a Budget.

Roasted Autumn Vegetable Bowl + Arugula Walnut Pesto.

In an effort to eat less garbage before Halloween because 1. I need to make sure I fit into the pants for my costume, and 2. Let’s face it, we’ll all be eating boatloads of candy and drinking sugary libations, I decided to roast a boatload of veggies this week.

I decided to be adventurous and try an acorn squash – if you haven’t yet, you NEED to. Those things are like gold. I swear it’s better than butternut squash, equally as tasty as a sweet potato, and a vegetable? What even. And I haven’t even tried it with cinnamon and brown sugar on top. That’s next.

If you’re like me and have no idea how to cut an acorn squash though, reference this video. Saved my life. Although I’ll be honest, I almost chopped off my fingers trying to hack it open with my Ikea knives. Not your best option…

Roasted Vegetable Rice Bowl

1 cup brown rice (cooked according to directions)

1 acorn squash, sliced in crescent moons

~10 brussels sprouts, halved or quartered

1 red onion, chopped thinly, but in large pieces

2 cups torn kale

2 tablespoons olive oil (or 1 EVOO, 1 Coconut Oil)

salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit. In a large bowl, combine the onion, brussels sprouts and kale. Drizzle with one tablespoon olive oil and toss with hands to coat evenly.

2. Place brussels, onion and kale on a baking sheet. The kale will cook more quickly so feel free to use a separate sheet, or remove from the sheet with the other vegetables after 10 minutes. The brussels and onion will roast for 30 minutes.

3. On another baking sheet. Place the acorn squash in an even layer. Spray with coconut oil on both sides, or drizzle with remaining olive oil. Roast for ~40 minutes, or until starting to brown at the edges and soft.

4. Once the vegetables have been removed from the oven, place in a bowl over the brown rice. Top with arugula walnut pesto (I use about 2 tbsp each serving!) and salt to taste.

*Feel free to prep all of these ingredients in advance! The only thing I wouldn’t prep early is the kale because it’ll wilt/get soggy.

Arugula Walnut Pesto

1/2 cup fresh basil

1/2 cup walnuts

2 cups arugula

3 cloves minced garlic

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tsp salt + more to taste

enough water to get the blender moving

In a food processor, combine all the ingredients. Pulse until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Add water slowly to keep everything moving, but not enough to water the sauce down. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Hope you guys liked this one 🙂 I have a ton more recipes in the works!